No student, teacher, or school's performance should be determined using a single measure. As Congress attempts to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), it has the opportunity to fix the currently exclusive emphasis on state assessments as the sole means of measuring student performance and school quality.
ASCD recently provided the House education committee with a letter (PDF) including its recommendations for accountability systems that are based on more than just standardized test scores. The letter commends the committee for providing states with the flexibility to use additional indicators of student proficiency in H.R.5, its ESEA reauthorization bill, but asks to add language to the bill that will take into account the broad array of measures beyond standardized test scores. Additionally, the letter pushes for the committee to incorporate language that supports professional development and educator effectiveness.
ASCD's June edition of Policy Points (PDF) also highlights the importance of multiple measures when evaluating student, teacher, and school performance. Students benefit from multiple-measure assessments because they are given